Since forging a meaningful partnership with Washington-based Yakima Chief Hops (YCH) in 2017, the Pink Boots Society (PBS) has held annual interactive “hop rub” events to determine which varietals to include in each year’s Pink Boots Hop Blend. That blend is the basis for fundraising beers which are produced at breweries throughout the world to raise awareness about the volunteer-run non-profit organization providing educational opportunities to women in the brewing industry. Over the past five years, donations from proceeds of beers brewed with the Pink Boots Hop Blend have totaled over $500,000.
From 2017 to 2019, the hop-rub sessions took place in Denver, Colorado, during fall’s annual Great American Beer Festival (GABF), allowing women from breweries across the nation to participate. In 2020, there was no GABF due to the pandemic, making it impossible for in-person proceedings. Like so many things in life, the event went virtual, with members of PBS chapters in the U.S. and abroad receiving kits equipped with identical hop varietals so they could submit their “dream blends” to the company for consideration. YCH then used that information to develop a finite number of blends for PBS members to choose from. It was enough of a hit that YCH utilized the same method in 2021 when GABF was once again on COVID-induced hiatus.
This year, GABF will be back, but YCH has so enjoyed getting more PBS members involved and found the data obtained through the revised process so valuable that it’s going with a hybrid model for 2022. The grand hop-rub affair will take place in Denver on Wednesday, October 5, the day before GABF’s four-day festivities begin, with varietals determined by results of preliminary assessment events conducted by individual PBS chapters over the summer.
Two such events took place locally in late-August. The first took place at Lost Cause Meadery in Bay Park, followed by a second session for North County members of PBS’ San Diego Chapter at Pizza Port Brewing‘s Bressi Ranch headquarters in Carlsbad. Unlike the GABF events, which feature fresh whole-hop cones, participants at the aforementioned events evaluated the aromas of pelletized hops, leading YCH Field Sales Manager Kelly Lohrmeyer to describe the process as more of a “hop shake” or a “hop sniff”.
Over a half-hour period, attendees made their way around a pair of tables where jars of hop pellets were arranged, complete with informational sheets on each of the 14 varietals that were up for consideration. Evaluators would shake each jar then remove the cap and take a long whiff, noting their impressions on a scoresheet, which included a “sensory lexicon” to help streamline evaluations. Once everyone was finished with their assessments, PBS San Diego Co-chapter Leader Lia Garcia read off each hop off individually. Attendees then raised their hands if the varietal in question was in their top seven so Garcia could record the total.
Remarkably, there was just one difference in the septet of varietals chosen in nights one and two. Citra, El Dorado, HBC 586, Idaho 7, Idaho Gem and Talus were unanimous selections, while Ekuanot made the cut on night one and HBC 630 took its place the following evening.
Lorhmeyer says HBC 586, an experimental hop described as citrusy and spicy with notes of sweet fruit, was a huge hit at both sessions. Idaho Gem scored very well but people either loved it or hated it. And on night two, El Dorado tied Chinook for seventh place, requiring a “sniff-off” to make the final list. Also notable was the fact that neither Loral nor Sabro made it into the mix, despite the former being in every Pink Boots Hop Blend to-date and the latter being present in the 2019 and 2021 editions.
Results from the PBS San Diego Chapter events will be sent to YCH, as will picks from chapters located throughout the U.S. and in several other countries. In all, YCH sent out 100 evaluation kits. That data will provide the foundation for what participants at this year’s hop rub will consider and ultimately vote on for the 2023 Pink Boots Hop Blend.
That product will be made available for purchase by brewing companies next year, in time for brewers to craft beers as part of International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day, which is held each year on International Women’s Day on March 8.
Pink Boots Hop Blends through the Years
- 2018: Palisade, Simcoe, Mosaic, Citra & Loral
- 2019: Loral, Glacier, Mosaic, Simcoe & Sabro
- 2020: Azacca, El Dorado, Idaho Gem & Loral
- 2021: Ahtanum, Cashmere, Citra, Loral & Sabro
- 2022: HBC 630, Idaho Gem, Loral, Talus & Triumph